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Orisha Bond
While it is not exactly common among the Elegbara, there are those in the Tribe who feel a particularly strong bond with the orishas, such that they are able to gain a measure of their power in return for an extra amount of loyalty and service. Elegbara raised among the nunnehi or the more remote native tribes of their ancestral homelands are the most likely to develop such a powerful connection, though no few oba show a gift for it as well. This Background reflects a character who has just such a bond, be it with one of the orishas, a voodoo loa, a tribal totem of their native culture or similar higher power. In game terms, this Background is handled the same as the Totem Background with one major alteration. Elegbara cannot use their bond to cross into the Umbra as nunnehi do, but instead can enter (or return from) their patron's home realm in the Dreaming and travel elsewhere from there. The systems for crossing over are the same, including bringing passengers along, and can provide a resourceful eshu with an excellent starting point for many fascinating trips into the depths of the Far or Deep Dreaming. Such powerful spirits as orishas or totems dislike having their homes used like revolving doors, however, so prudent Elegbara restrict such visits to times of great necessity, lest their patron revoke the privilege entirely. Players should start with the orishas featured in this book, then work with their Storytellers to come up with the statistics for other orishas, keeping an eye on game balance. What is acceptable as a patron for this Background is something natural as well as something with the weight of tradition behind it. Animals, plants, elements, orishas, honored ancestors and the like are acceptable, but modern conceits such as computers, technology, or figures from pop culture are out of the question. An eshu may follow Lightning, for example, because of its natural connotations, but not Electricity, because that implies its technological uses. Each orisha or totem has a certain cost in Background points. The higher the cost, the more powerful the patron and the more potent gifts it confers on its followers. However, such spirits also demand an accordingly higher amount of respect and devotion from their followers as well. These benefits are conferred largely through game mechanics, typically an increase in an Attribute or free levels in an Ability, while the requirements are expressed as Bans, prohibitions that must be obeyed. In no case will a totem cost more than 5 Background points. As always, use common sense and game balance when deciding what benefits and drawbacks a particular totem offers. The bond is ultimately a very personal one, and so there is no true right or wrong even between followers of the same orisha. However, players who attempt to abuse this Background for some free dots on their character sheet should be smacked down hard, or else the cultural value and mystique of this Background is lost.